Julesmusician From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Posted (7 years 6 months 2 weeks ago) and read 2098 times:
For modern commercial airliners what RF equipment do they have on the deck - obviously VHF equipment, and navigation on VHF plus transponders - but could someone explain to me what/how HF is used - I have heard pilots say "we will have to try them on HF" - also is it possible now to phone direct from the flight deck to anywhere in the world if there was an issue that you wanted to chat through with an engineers/doctor etc or does this still have to be done through normal radio communications?
CX flyboy From Hong Kong, joined Dec 1999, 6341 posts, RR: 56 Reply 1, posted (7 years 6 months 2 weeks ago) and read 2089 times:
SATCOM is available in many modern aircraft, where do do pick up the handset and dial a preset number to find Engineering, or a doctor, or Flight Dispatch, Operations, or various ATC centers around the world etc... To dial a different number is not possible. I guess you would have to go and use the phones in the cabin with a credit card!!
As for HF, it is a for long range communications when you are out of range of VHF stations. The quality is not very good and it is very crackly, the quality of the reception also varying from day to night. This is why most HF ATC unites have a range of frequencies for a pilot to try before they eventually get hold of them.
Julesmusician From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 2, posted (7 years 6 months 2 weeks ago) and read 2074 times:
Interesting, I was wondering whether the age had finally reached us that you could just "pick up the phone" and talk to someone - but always wondered about the HF - I know VHF is line of sight - does that apply to HF? or what is its range?
CX flyboy From Hong Kong, joined Dec 1999, 6341 posts, RR: 56 Reply 4, posted (7 years 6 months 1 week 6 days 23 hours ago) and read 2061 times:
Some people say that on a night with the perfect conditions, you would be able to hear conversations from literally the other side of the world.....I've not heard that though. I have enough trouble getting hold of Calcutta radio when I am flying just off their coast!
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